Student Alumna Spotlight: Jada Philip
Perspective is powerful! Thanks to your generous support, we are able to provide opportunities for students to grow and expand their thinking and their world. There is no better way to appreciate the impact than through our alumni and their stories. This Alumni Spotlight features one of our Virgin Islands students, Jada Philip, who is now 17 and lives in St. John. We are thrilled to share her story as it includes both our Virgin Islands work and our Summer programs in Boston and hope that you will continue to make stories like Jada’s possible.
As Jada (pictured, on the left) comes to the end of her high school career, World Ocean School caught up with her to talk about her time on Roseway and her plans for the future. Jada first came sailing with World Ocean School on a 5-day overnight program with a local USVI school, Gifft Hill. She and her 8th-grade classmates came on board to explore the Caribbean from St. John to Vieques and back. Jada says she loved that experience so much that she applied to come on board again in the summer before her junior year of high school! Her second trip was on one of World Ocean School’s signature Summer Ambassador Programs. This time, Jada flew from the USVIs to Boston and boarded Roseway for a two-week overnight program in New England full of students from around the world, none of whom she knew.
At first, like many of our students, she wanted to go home. Being on a ship thousands of miles away from home with no one she knew “pushed [her] out of her comfort zone”. However, the more time went on, the more she got to know people, and she found herself enjoying her time on board. She said that she even ended up looking forward to doing chores! “Even though some complained, we worked together and helped each other out. All of us grew closer because of the chores.”
Community building is a large part of participating in World Ocean School programs. Students are often surprised at the strength of the relationships they are able to build in just a few weeks on board. Something that surprised Jada while on board was that she learned to be more open. Before, she said, she “didn’t like socializing”, but being on the Roseway helped her meet new people and work as a team. On Roseway, you work together as a team for everything; hauling the sails, washing dishes, cleaning the deck, all of it. As Jada puts it: “If one person is falling down, pick them up!”
Jada has many fond memories of her time on Roseway, but it was the little things that really stuck with her. Jada is afraid of heights, so when it was time to climb the headrig, she was scared and did not want to do it. Rudy, a crew member, encouraged her the whole time she was on the headrig. He went with her and made her feel safe, and in the end, she said it was a “really great feeling” to be up in the headrig.
When asked what she would say to future World Ocean School students, Jada replied, “It’s one of those life-changing experiences. When are you ever again going to get on a schooner and be at sea? It’s good to get away from life and worries and everything. I would encourage students to go with an open mind. You might like it, you might not, but at the end of the day you did it…The crew wants you to have fun, but the most important thing is that they want you to be safe. You’re going to do things out of the norm but it’s a chance for you to meet new people.”
Jada participated in various local, ocean-related extracurriculars growing up on St. John. These experiences, along with her time on board Roseway, helped her to realize how much she enjoyed being at sea. World Ocean School was thrilled to learn that Jada will be attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy starting in the fall! She plans to study international maritime business, get her lifeguarding certification, and maybe join the Coast Guard when she completes her degree. She has already completed certifications in water safety and scuba diving.
World Ocean School is honored to be a part of Jada’s story, and we can’t wait to hear about the experiences she conquers next.
We are so grateful for the ability to provide these programs for students like Jada, and we wouldn’t be able to carry on with these programs without your generous support. Let’s continue to make great things happen together. Jada’s programs combined cost $6,600, and every gift helps support these opportunities. Can we count on your donation to World Ocean School to help provide these life-changing experiences?
